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- According to a new study published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics, the seven Earth-size planets of TRAPPIST-1 discovered last year are all mostly made of rock, with some having the potential to hold more water than Earth.
- As per the study, the planets’ densities suggest that some planets could have up to 5 percent of their mass in water which is 250 times more than the oceans on Earth.
- The form that water would take on TRAPPIST-1 planets would depend on the amount of heat they receive from their star, which is a mere 9 percent as massive as our Sun.
- According to the study, Planets closest to the star are more likely to host water in the form of atmospheric vapor, while those farther away may have water frozen on their surfaces as ice.
- TRAPPIST-1e is the rockiest planet of them all, but still is believed to have the potential to host some liquid water.
- About TRAPPIST-1
- TRAPPIST-1 is a star system of seven planets discovered in 2016-2017.
- It is named for the ‘Transiting Planets and Planetesimals Small Telescope (TRAPPIST) in Chile, which discovered two of the seven planets.
- NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope, in collaboration with ground-based telescopes uncovered the other five in the system.
- It is an ultra-cool red dwarf star located 39.6 light-years from the Sun .
- The innermost planet TRAPPIST-1b is likely to have a rocky core.
